3 days into the mandate, who is wearing their mask?

Channel 8 watched shoppers enter businesses throughout Lincoln to see if residents are following the new order.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Channel 8 watched shoppers enter businesses throughout Lincoln to see if residents are following the new order. We surveyed around 100 people at different grocery stores both in north and south Lincoln, counting how many people were wearing a mask when walking through the shops doors. According to our unscientific study, 90% of customers at Russ’s Market were wearing their masks. Not far behind, 87% of shoppers wore their masks when walking into Super Saver.

But as many of us know, in other stores, those percentages aren’t so high. Managers telling us, maybe 40 or 50% of people wearing masks in their stores.

The mask mandate has put business owners between a rock and a hard place. With revenue down because of COVID-19, do you kick out a customer for not wearing a mask? Losing customers is something no business wants to deal with.

The owner of the Nebraska Gift Shop in downtown says their business is down 50%  due to the coronavirus. She says they are going to follow the mandate and ask people to wear a mask when entering the Gift Shop but she doesn’t like the idea of the requirement. She believes customers should have a choice.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department released information to Channel 8 saying they are using an education approach rather then enforcement for people and businesses that aren’t following the rules. They have created a team that will evaluate complaints and determine the best way to educate that person or business, any enforcement will only happen if they do not take the education seriously and continue to violate the mask mandate.

People are being asked not to call 9-1-1 to report any complaints. Lincoln Police and Lancaster County Sheriff’s will not be ticketing anyone not wearing a mask and businesses with specific questions about face coverings are asked to call the Health Department at 402-441-6280.